Spring has a tendency to bring out the gardener in many of us. Unfortunately, it can also lead to muscle aches and back pains. So before everyone gets outside and starts lugging around heavy bags of fertilizer, we wanted to talk about how a few preventive measures and Indianapolis chiropractic care can work together to help gardeners remain pain-free. Let’s talk about the preventive measures first. The back is one of the main areas of the body that gardeners tend to injure when weeding, shoveling and moving objects with wheelbarrows. Thus, to avoid such scenarios, you may want to make use of the following tips: Purchase gardening supplies in easy to handle amounts. If you can’t do that, once you get home, consider asking someone to help you break the heavy materials up into smaller containers. That way, you won’t have to carry the heavy stuff around from one end of the yard to another. When using a shovel or wheelbarrow to complete gardening tasks, make sure that you maintain the proper posture throughout. For example, remember to bend from the knees and avoid putting strain onto your back. Try to use equipment that is less likely to cause unnecessary muscle strain. Examples include long-handled tools, knee pads, watering wands and gardening benches. Of course the legs, arms and neck can get achy during and after gardening sessions too. As such, we’d like to offer suggestions for avoiding pain in those areas as well. Here they are: Try not to overwork one muscle group. Instead, alter your gardening tasks so that you use each muscle group a little at a time. For example, you may want to get on all fours and plant seedlings for 15 minutes. Then you may want to stop planting and rake up debris for the next 15 minutes. If you already have limited mobility, consider using raised beds or containers for your plants. In doing so, you may be able to reduce the amount of time that you spend getting up and down. Planting fruits, veggies and flowers that require little maintenance is always a great option too. Lastly, we wanted to talk briefly about how engaging in routine chiropractic care can help gardeners. For starters, chiropractors may help gardeners by offering additional tips on how to avoid injury. They may be able to suggest equipment that may alleviate pain or provide extra support (i.e. braces) as well. In addition, they can also assist gardeners by providing chiropractic adjustments to address any injuries, aches and pains that may “crop up” over time. Image courtesy of BJWOK /...